Control consoles of the type described herein generally include a framework for receiving and supporting the necessary pieces of electronic and support equipment including terminals, monitors, keyboards, switch panels, telephone turrets, lighting and so forth, and a planar work surface extending outwardly from the framework at a convenient height. Some of the equipment including video monitors and output displays is supported to be visible above the work surface for convenient viewing and user access. Attractive finishing panels are also usually supported by the basic framework.
To date, many work station consoles have been custom manufactured which in terms of design and construction is both expensive and time consuming. This approach has been necessitated by customer requirements that are often unique in terms of work station size, equipment placement, human engineering and cost considerations. In the result, the completed console structures are not only extremely expensive, but are also difficult if not impossible to subsequently modify for the reconfiguration of existing equipment or to retrofit new equipment. An alternative approach has been to assemble the consoles from fixed size modular sections. This approach can reduce costs, and although there may be some loss of flexibility with respect to subsequent modifications and reconfigurations of equipment within the console, there are simply many instances in which the cost savings outweigh the advantages of a system critically engineered to permit unlimited post-installation reconfiguration. Some flexibility must however remain.
A need therefore exists for a console structure which overcomes the problems inherent in either the custom design and manufacture or completely modular assembly of console structures. One such approach has been developed by the Applicant and is described in Canadian Patent 1,291,518 issued Oct. 29, 1991 (equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,625).
The backbone of the console structure shown in the aforementioned patents are the horizontally spaced, vertically upright gable members 1. The gables are interconnected by stringers 2 to provide a rigid framework for the console structure. The spacing between gables is infinitely variable so that the framework as a whole is easily adapted to custom requirements both before and after initial on-site assembly. Because most of the equipment in the console is supported by or suspended from the interconnecting stringers, changing the distance between gables is not in and of itself all that disruptive of the system as a whole and particularly the equipment mounting hardware, and this lends the overall structure enormous flexibility. This flexibility comes however at a cost. The gables are metal fabricated usually from tubular steel and are therefore relatively expensive to manufacture and store. The stringers are typically aluminum extrusions and are therefore relatively inexpensive linear stock easily stored, but significant numbers of different stringers of different shapes and configurations depending upon function are required and an idea of the number and types of stringers needed can be seen from FIGS. 3 to 9 of the patent. This therefore also adds to cost and the need for significant inventory control. The need for this number of stringers is made necessary in part because the gables, as aforesaid, are almost entirely structural in function and integrate no channels, interlocks or other mechanical means that increase their versatility or allow them to perform multiple tasks.
The Applicant has found that although there will continue to be a strong demand for the flexibility and retrofit capabilities of its customized consoles, and for modular “discreet logic” systems that cost less, many customers now demand both flexability and lower cost. To achieve these objects, it is increasingly desirable to further reduce the number of components making up the console framework but in a way that the remaining components are analogous to building blocks that can be configured, assembled together and reconfigured for maximum design flexibility and adaptability. Taking this a step further, one way to reduce product cost is to reduce the cost of sales. Particularly in respect of customized product, an intense collaboration is normally required between the customer and the manufacturer, the customer and the sales agent or all three to conceive, design and implement the final system. This is an extremely expensive process. However, by applying relatively few easily understood and manipulated standard elements, the dealer and/or client can achieve near instantaneous design capabilities. Moreover, it is contemplated that customers and/or dealers will be given on-line access to a computer implemented layout and quoting system that is expected to significantly decrease the time and cost to configure the consoles to the customer's requirements, transmit the order to the factory and deliver the system to the client for assembly.